AFCON 2023: Egypt vs Ghana: Predicted lineup, injury news, head-to-head, telecast

Published at :January 16, 2024 at 1:47 PM

Modified at :January 16, 2024 at 1:47 PM

Both sides failed to win the opening match of Group B

Egypt narrowly avoided a shocking loss to Mozambique in their AFCON opener, salvaging a point with a late penalty goal from Mohamed Salah. Eager for their first win, they are expected to go all out against the Black Stars. Eintracht Frankfurt’s Omar Marmoush eyes a start, and Al Ahly’s Mohamed Abdelmonem is a yellow card away from suspension.

Ghana faced defensive issues in a 2-1 loss to Cape Verde, prompting our bet on Salah and company. Ghana seems to be in mixed form with little effort to resolve the limited free flow of goals. It will cost them this time as the tournament is fired up and every big player in the continent is pushing for reaching the knockout stages.

Kick-Off:

Friday; 19 January 2024, 08:00 PM GMT (01:30 AM IST)

Location: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium

Form

Egypt (all competitions): D-W-W-W-D

Ghana (all competitions): L-W-L-D-L

Players to watch

Mohamed Salah (Egypt)

Mohamed Salah Premier League — **Mohamed Salah scored the penalty in extra-time to help Egypt secure a point in the opening fixture**

Having showcased excellent form for Liverpool this season, Salah is poised for a strong performance. Despite missing a penalty in Egypt’s last friendly match, he scored the penalty in extra-time to help Egypt secure a point in the opening fixture. Salah’s wealth of experience will play a crucial role in Egypt’s quest to clinch victory in the AFCON. He is one of the best players in the tournament and he’ll draw a lot of attention on the right wing.

Mohammed Kudus (Ghana)

The eagerly awaited addition to the Ghana national football team has come to fruition, with the much-desired player having completed training. Despite sitting out the last friendly and the opening match due to his late arrival and sprain, the 23-year-old is anticipated to make the starting lineup against Egypt. As a dynamic presence, he is expected to bring creativity and goal-scoring form to this side.

Match Facts

The Pharaohs are unbeaten in their last four matches against Ghana.
Black stars have failed to score in four of their last six games.
Egypt have remained unbeaten in their past 6 games.

Injury and Team News

With Salah, Trezeguet, and Elneny all in peak fitness, Egypt’s key players are ready for action. Rui Vitoria is set to deploy his strongest lineup, aiming to make a resounding statement in their second match.

The absence of Mohammed Kudus was a significant setback for Ivory Coast’s squad in the AFCON opener. Dealing with a sprain, he remained sidelined even for the last friendly fixture. Kudus has rejoined the camp, providing a valuable boost for Chris Hughton and the team ahead of this matchday.

Head-to-Head

Matches: 23

Egypt: 12

Ghana: 5

Draws: 6

Predicted lineup for Egypt vs Ghana

Egypt Predicted lineup (4-3-3)

El Shenawy; Sharaf, Hegazy, Abdelmonem, Hany; Zizo, Fathi, Elneny; Trezeguet, Mohamed, Salah

Ghana predicted lineup (4-2-3-1)

Ofori; Mensah, Salisu, Djiku, Odoi; Baba, Ashimeru; J. Ayew, Konigsdorffer, Paintsil; Kudus

Match prediction for Egypt vs Ghana

Considering the defensive challenges Egypt faced in their opener and Ghana’s potential offensive strengths, a closely contested match with a lone goal favouring Ghana appears to be the most likely scenario. Egypt’s offensive strengths, especially with Salah, could pose a threat, while Ghana will aim to shore up their defense and exploit any vulnerabilities in the Egyptian backline.

Prediction: Egypt 1-0 Ghana

Telecast for Egypt vs Ghana

India – FanCode

UK – Sky Sports

US – beIN Sports

Nigeria – NTA

AFCON 2023 Worldwide Broadcast Details: Click here

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